Improvement in the manufacture of pneumatic gas



H. BLOOMHELD.

improvement in the Manufacture of Pneumatic Gas.

Patentedjune 6,1871'.

UNrrnD HOMER. BLOOMFIELD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFRNIA, ASSIGNOR T0JOSEPH WESLEY STOW, 0F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTUE OF PNEUMATlC GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,684, dated June 6,1871.

To all whom it may concern; v

Be it known that I, HoMnn BLooMFrnLD, of San Francisco, in the county ofSan Francisco and in the State of California, have invented anImprovement in the Manufacture of Pneumatic Gas, of which the followingis a specification:

The rst part of my invention consists in a novel construction of thedevices employed for feeding the gasoline to the carbureter, whereby thedepth of the gasoline in the carbureter may be varied at will,in orderthat, as the specific gravity of the liquid is reduced by evaporation afresh supply may be added without drawing off that portion which hasbeen exhausted, or changing the depth 'of the volatile or workin g stock5 another end sought to be attained by this part of the invention beingto permit the depth of the gasoline to be changed, to adapt the machineto be worked at different temperatures, and to carburet the air withuniformity, whether the flow be rapid 'or slow, by regulating kthe depthof the gasoline through which the air must pass. The second part of myinvention consists inthe construction of the vaporizer in such mannerthat it can be adjusted so as to present a uuiform evaporating surfaceindependently of the depth of the gasoline. i The third part of myinvention consists in supporting thek evaporator by means ofthe pipethrough which air or vapor passes from the carbureter to the tank inwhich the 'gasoline is stored in order to admit a fresh supply to thecarbureter, 'so that as the depth of the gasoline is varied the positionof the vaporizer shall be changed to correspond.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an air-.carburetingorpneumatic gasgenerating apparatus embodying my invention.V Fig. 2 ispart plan and part horizontal section of same. Fig. 3 is a view at rightangles to Fig. 1, showing the manner in which the forked rod is attachedto the adjustable pipe.

Each part is distinguished by the same letter whenever it appears in thedrawing.

A is the reservoir, having a suitable apparatus, B, at the top, throughwhich it may be lled with gasoline or other volatile hydrocarbon liquidfrom which the vapor is to be generated. C is the feed-pipe,throughwhich the.

liquid passes `to the carbureter. D is the carbureter or chamber inwhich the liquid is vaporized and incorporated with atmospheric air,forming pneumatic gas. placed in the interior and lirmly secured-to thebottom of a large and strong tank, E, in such a manner that thecarbureter may be entirely submerged in and surrounded by watercontained in the outer tank E. The interior of the carbureter D alsocommunicates with the interior of the reservoir A through the pipes Fand L. The pipe F passes vertically upward through the stufling-box G inthe center of the top of the carbureter, and terminates at its upperextremity into a stuffing-box, H. To the stufling-box-H are attached thelower extremities of the forked rod I. The forked rod I, terminating ina screw at its upper end, passes upward through an openin g in the coverof the tank E and up through a stand, J, and hand-wheel K. The pipe L,passing from the top of the reservoir A along the top of the tank E, isturned vertically downward between the forks of the rod I, andterminates in the interior of the pipe F. An air-tight joint is formedby the stuffing-box H, through which the pipe L slips, when the pipe Fis moved up or down, by turning the hand-wheel K. The lower end of thepipe F is closed, but just above the end small perforations M are made,through which liquid or vapor may pass to or from the interior of thepipe F. N is the pipe through which air is forced vinto the carbureter.O is the pipe through which the gas is delivered. P is a perforatedplate, under which the air enters the carbureter, and by means of whichsaid airis caused to pass in a greatlydivided state through the liquidcontained in 1 the carbureter. To the lower end of the pipe F isattached a vaporizer, It, composed of vertical parallel partitions,formed in whole'or in part of Canton flannel or other capillarysubstance for absorbing the liquid, and exposing an extensive surfacefor evaporation, and so arranged that the air escaping through theperforations of the plate P and up through the liquid will pass betweenthe partition of the vaporizer and carry up the Avapor therein formed.The perforations M of the pipe F are just above the level of the loweredges o f the partitions of the vaporizer. S is a glass gage Thecarbureter D is communicating with the interior of the carbureter, andindicates to the eye the height of the liquid in the carbureter. 'l is arod connected with the stop-cock U for the purpose of opening andclosing the passage through,Y v

face, and be well protected against accident from fire by its covering'of earth. For obtaining access to the glass gage S and the stop-cock U,a pit, protected by a wall, V, may be provided. For obtaining access tothe interior of the carbureter a man-hole, W, may be made in the top,and carefully closed, so as to be air and water tight, when the machineis in operation.

To understand the operation of my invention, suppose the tank E iilledwith water to a', as represented in Fig. 1, the carbureter D empty, thereservoir A full of gasoline, and the stop-cockUclosed. If,now, thestop-cock U be opened, airfrom the interior of the carburcter will enterthe pipe F through the perforations M, pass through the pipes F and L tothe reservoir, and displace gasoline; gasoline .will, seeking its level,iind its way down through the feed-pipe O to the interior of thecarbureter, and this iiow will continue untilv the surface of thegasoline in the carbureter rises above the perforations M and stops theentrance of air to the reservoir; the gasoline can then rise no higherin the carburetcr, but will enter the pipe F through the perforations Mand fill that pipe to the level at which the gasoline stands in thereservoir. If air be now forced in through the pipe N, and in passingthrough carry off gasoline in the form of vapor, as fast as the gasolineis removed, so as to open the holes M, so fast will the vapor or gasenter the holes M, and, passing up through the gasoline in the pipe F,find its way to the reservoir and displace gasoline to keep up thesupply in the carbureter. Now, it being evi'- dent that when theoperation of making gas is going on, the level Y of the gasoline willalways be very nearly the same as the level of the holes M, it followsthat by raising or lowering the pipe F we can regulate the depth of thegasoliney in the carbureter, and consequently the quality of vaporincorporated with the air in passing up through the gasoline.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combina-tion with the carbureter D, an automatic feeding device,substantially as described, whereby the gasoline or its equivalent maybe maintained at diiferent depths, as desired.

2. In combination with the carbureter D,

the vaporizer It, or its equivalent, and an auto-v matic feeding device,whereby the uniform depth of immersion of the vaporizer maybemaintained.

3. In combination with the carbureter D, an adjustable vaporizer, R, orits equivalent, constructed substantially as described, whereby thevaporizer may be maintained at any de-V with the carbureter D foradjusting the height j ofthe vaporizer, substantially as described..

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day ofFebruary, A. D. 1871.

HOMER BLOOMFIELD.

Witnesses:

F. J. THIBAULT, B. L. BURLING.

